Suction cleaner



July 22; 1941; E. R. SWANN SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 17, 1938 2 Shets-Siiet 1 Edward R. Swan): M S

ATTORNEY July 22, 1941. E. R. SWANN 0,

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Nov. 17, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWII/1% {1: \IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII. 'l/I/IIIl/II/l/I/III/Il/I/ INVENTOR Edward R. Swarm ATTORNEY Patented July 22, 1941 SUCTION CLEANER Edward B. Swann, North Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 17, 1938, Serial No. 240,923

6 Claims.

The present invent'mn relates to suction cleaners in general, and particularly to power-transmission means in suction cleaners. More particularly the invention comprises a suction cleanceives an annular rib 2| on the motor-fan unit, suitable sealing means 22 and bronze bearing means 23 being disposed in the recess 20 to provide an air tight seal between the relatively mover in which the surface covering agitator can be v able parts. The opposite side of the cleaner, not completely disconnected from the driving motor. shown, is provided with an identical bearing con- ,It is an object of the invention to provide a struction whereby the motor-fan unit I 6 is ronew and improved suction cleaner. It is another tatably supported at its opposite ends in the object of the invention to provide a new and imnozzle unit ill. The motor-fan unit includes a proved power-transmission means in a suction fan chamber which communicates with the air cleaner. A further object is-to render the agipassageway, not shown, and with an exhaust tator inoperative when the cleaner is used for passageway 24 to which is removably secured a oiT-th'e-floor cleaning. Another object is to prodirt filter bag 25, the upper end of which is sevide'a suction cleaner in which the driving motor cured to a handle 26 having its lower end disis moved about an eccentric to disconnect the posed in a socket 21 forming part of the motordriving pulley upon movement of the cleaner fan unit It. handle to storage position to thereby render the The handle is retained in various operative agitator inoperative. Another object is to provide positions by handle controlling means comprising a suction cleanerin which the driven pulley cbnan arcuate-sector 28 carried by the motor-fan nected to the cleaner agitator by a belt is shifted unit l6 and having detent seats 29 with which to reduce the tension on the cleaner belt when cooperates a roller detent 30 pivotally carried by the handle is in storage position. These and an arm 3| rotatably mounted on a shaft 32 and other more specific objects of the invention will is held in contact with the sector by a. torsion appear upon reading the specification and respring 33. Thus upon manipulating the handle ierring to the drawings, in which: v 26 the entire motor-fan unit is rotated in the Figure l is a side elevation of a suction cleane nozzle unit about a horizontal axis indicated at showing the cleaner handle in one operative posi- 34 for movement to one of the on-the-floor cleantion, and parts of the casing broken away to show ing positions shown in Figure 1 and to thestorthe power-transmission mechanism; age or oflE-the-floor cleaning position shown in Figure 2 is an enlarged section along the line Figure 4. V -2--2 of Figure 1; a Y The motor-fan unit includes a motor housing Figure 3 is an enlarged section along the line 36 which supports a horizontally arranged motor 3-3 of Figure 1; p 7 31 having its armature shaft 38 arranged eccen- Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing trically with respect to the axis of rotation 34 the cleaner handle inupright position the drive of the motor-fan unit. Adrive pulley 39 is rigidly and driven pulleys being out of engagement to attached to the armature shaft 38, and adapted disconnect the cleaner agitator, and to frictionaily engage the latter is a driven pulley Figure 5 is an enlarged section along the line 40 rigidly mounted .on a shaft .ll which is ro- 55 of Figure 4. tatably supported on a U-shaped arm 42 pivotally One embodiment of the invention is shown in 40 supported at its lower end on a shaft 43 carried by a cleaner having an ambulatory nozzle unit which the nozzle unit III in the belt chamber l2. Also pivotally carries a motor-fan-handle-bag unit, rigidly carried by the shaft II is a reduction commonly referred to as the motor-fan unit. pulley 41 which accommodates a. relatively resili-- The nozzle unit it comprises a transversely ,exent belt 43 extending in the belt channel II to an tending nozzle I I from the opposite ends of which 45 agitator 49 rotatably mounted in the mouth of the passageways extend ,rearwardly and upwardly nozzle II. A spring 44 operates at all times to along opposite sides of the cleaner. One of the urge the arm 42 toward the agitator to move the passageways i2 is a belt channel and the other, driven pulley 40 into engagement with the drive not shown, .is an air passageway leading to a pulley 39. A pin or stop 46 is rigidly secured in suction creating fan, not shown, The nozzle unit, 50 the nozzle unit 10 to limit forward movement of has a marginal depending wall l3 tofconceal the the'driven pulleys l0 and 41 towards the agitator front-and rear wheels I! and i5 respectively. 49.

In order to rotatably mount the motor-fan unit In operating the cleaner for on-the-floor clean- IG on the nozzle unit to, the latter is provided ing the handle 26 is usually manipulated through with an annular recess 20 which rotatively rean operating rangefrom the low position shown forward movement of the driven pulleys.

in Figure 1 upwardly to about an angle of 65.

Upon movement of the handle through this opertowards the agitator 49. During this forward movement the spring 44 urges the driven pulleys 49 and 41 forwardly to maintain the pulley 40 in frictional engagement with the drive pulley 39 to thereby rotate the driven pulleys and thus the agitator. The resiliency of the belt is such that the reduction in the distance between the centers of the belt pulle 41 and the agitator 49 does not render the agitator inoperative. At the same time the suction fan functions to draw dirt-laden air into nozzle and through the air passageway, not shown, into the fan chamber, not shown and is then discharged through the exhaust 24 into the bag 25.

When it is desired to employ the cleaner for ofl-the-floor cleaning the handle 26 and motorfan unit It are rotated about the axis of rotation 34 causing the. drive pulley 39 to be bodily moved eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation 34, to the position shown in Figures 4 and 5. During this movement the spring 44 urges the-driven pulleys toward the agitator 49 and maintains the driven pulley 49 in operative engagement with the drive pulley 39 until the arm 42 engages the stop 46, which prevents further Further forward rotation of the handle 29 causes the drive pulley 39 to move out of engagement with the driven pulley 40, as is best shown in Fi ure 5., to render the agitator inoperative. When the handle is in this position suitable dusting tools may be connected to the eye of the fan, not shown, for ofi-the-fioor cleaning.

To reconvert the cleaner to on-the-floor cleaning the handle is rotated rearwardly which bodily moves the drive pulley 39 eccentrically with respect to the axis of rotation 34 into operative engagement with the driven pulley 43 to thereby render the agitator operative.

It will be perceived that when the handle 26 is in storage or oif-the-floor cleaning positionthe tension on the belt '48 is reduced to thereby prolong its useful life, and since the agitator is rendered inoperative during off-the-floor cleaning it is not necessary to raise the agitator out of engagement with the floor covering when using the dusting tools.

I claim:

1. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle unit, a motorfan unit rotatably mounted on said nozzle unit, a motor carried by said motor-fan unit and eccentrically mounted with respect to the axis of rotation of said motor-fan unit, a drive pulley carried by the motor shaft, driven pulley means pivotally carried by said nozzle unit, means for urging said driven pulley means into engagement with said drive pulley, surface agitating means, a belt connecting said driven pulley means and surface agitating means, a handleon said motor-fan unit for moving the latter about its axis with respect to said nozzle unit during onthe-floor cleaning and for moving said unit to a position for ofI-the-floor cleaning, said eccentric arrangement of said drive pulley being so arranged with respect to said driven pulley means as to tend to move out of'engagement from the latter upon movement'of the motor-fan unit to off-the-floor cleaning position, and means to limit movement of said driven means to disengage the latter from said drive pulley upon movement of said motor-fan unit to said qif-the-floor-cleaning position to thereby render said surface agitating means inoperative.

2. In a suction cleaner, a nozzle unit, a motorhandle unit oscillatabiy mounted on the nozzle unit, a handle rigidly carried by said motor-handle unit for oscillating the latter during movement of said cleaner over the floor surface being cleaned and for moving said unit to ofi-the-floor cleaning position, a motor in said motor-handle unit and having its shaft eccentric with respect to the axis of rotation of said motor-handle unit, drive means on said shaft, driven means pivotally mounted on said nozzle unit, means urging said driven means into engagement with said drive means, surface agitating means in said'nozzle unit, a belt connecting said driven means and surface agitating means, movement of said handle to said oiI-the-floor cleaning position causing said drive means to be moved about its eccentric axis and out of engagement with said driven means to render said agitating means inoperative and means for holding said driven means out of engagement with said drive means when the latter is disengaged from said driven means.

3. In a suction cleaner, a body, a casing rotatably mounted on said body, motor-drive means carried by said casing and movable about an axis eccentric with respect to the axis of r0,- tation of said casing, a handle rigidly carried by said casing for oscillating the latter about its axis of rotation during normal on-the-floor cleaning and movable to an inoperative floor cleanin position, driven means carried by said body and in engagement with said motor-drive means during said on-the-floor cleaning, surface agitating means in said body, a belt connected to said driven means and to said surface agitating means, movement of said handle to said inoperative position causing said motor-drive means to move about the axis of rotation 01 said casing and out of engagement with said driven means to render said agitating means inoperative and means for holding said driven means out of engagement with said motor-drive means when the latter is disengaged from said driven means.

4. In a suction cleaner, a body, motor-drive means mounted for rotation on said body, driven means mounted on said body and normally in engagement with said motor-drive means, surface agitating means in said body, means connecting said driven means and said surface agitatin means, a handle rigidly connected with respect to said motor-drive means for oscillating the latter about its axis of rotation during normal onthe-floor cleaning, said handle being movable to an inoperative floor cleaning position, movement of said handle to said inoperative position causing said motor drive means to move about its axis and out of engagement with said driven means to render said agitating means inoperative and means for holding said driven means out of engagement with said motor-drive means when the latter isdisengaged from said driven means.

5. In a suction cleaner, a body, a nozzle in said body, surface agitating means in said nozzle, mo-

tor-drive means rotatably mounted on said body rearwardly of said nozzle, driven means carried by said body, said driven means being rearwardly of said drive means and engageable with the latter during on-the-floor cleaning, a belt connecting said driven and said surface agitating means,

and a handle oscillatably mounted on said body for movement with respect to the latter during normal on-the-floor cleaning. said handle having an inoperative floor cleaning position, said handle being rigidly mounted with respect. to said motor-drive means for oscillating the latter about its axis during on-the-fioor cleaning, and movement of said handle to said inoperative floor cleaning position causing said motor-drive means to move about its axis towards said agitating means and out of engagement with said driven means to render said surface agitating means inoperative and means for holding said driven means out of engagement with said motor-drive means when the latter is disengaged from said driven means.

6. In a suction cleaner, a body, surface agitating ,means in said body, motor-drive means mounted on said body for bodily movement with respect thereto, driven means pivotaliy mounted on said body, means for moving said driven means into engagement with said motor-drive means, a belt connecting said drlgen means and agitating means, a handle connec ed to said motor-drive means for bodily moving the latter to I an inoperative position out of engagement with said driven means to render said agitating means inoperative, and means for limiting movement 01' said driven means toward said motor-drive means to hold said driven means out of engagement with 

